âThe best sound quality made Cajon is not about shiny paint jobs or
fancy branded woods..." IT'S ABOUT WHO MAKES THEM PERSONALLY â ...
as common logic dictates : a heart surgery is better performed by a heart
surgeon rather than a car mechanic ... ergo the better person to make the best
sounding cajon would be the person who understands it well ... who play it
professionally ... a percussionist to say the
least ... and who has the CAJON as best evidence to prove that he indeed knows
what he is doing . Often times there would be musicians who will claim they
know what a cajon is and therefore know how to make it ... but the proof of the
pudding is in the eating/tasting ... as the case maybe, do them musicians
actually make it themselves ??? or do they just pay a carpenter to do it for
them and claim they make it personally ??? ...

(The kind of wood used in a cajon is
only a 30% factor of a good sounding cajon) even if you have the best kind of
wood in the world but if your cajon maker is a carpenter and not a
percussionist/drummer or at the very least a musician, the sound of your cajon
will probably resemble a wooden cabinet with your bass sometimes sounding like
your pounding an empty steel drum. Even if you give the poor carpenter the best
and most expensive kind of wood, but if he does not know what a cajon should
really sound likeâ¦ and
given that you need to pound the cajon he makes in order to hear
it... That would simply indicate that he does not know how to tune it eitherâ¦ but donât blame the poor carpenter
because its not his job to play the cajon instrument after he makes it, much
less know its origin and where it came from, who plays it and why
was it invented, why does it have a hole and what is the correct size of wood
to use, since the carpenter just copied it somewhere... and because it looks
fairly easy and relatively simple to make since it is just rectangular in shape
with a hole that makes noise ... he failed to understand the technology behind
it !!! These carpenters simply thought that by copying my slapbox inch by inch
from inside-out... that the good quality sound will just fall into place upon
completion of the box. Unfortunately, it's not so... as evidenced by the kind
of tune and quality their box turned out to be, which you will immediately find
out as soon as you compare the sound of ALL THE CAJONS SOLD IN ALL MUSIC STORES
vis-a-v after you test THE CAJON DE MANILA. The carpenter thought that its a
good idea to make the cajon look good and shiny with all their skill on
aesthetic effevts so that it will look saleable on the shelves of music stores.
The all important qualities of a good sounding cajon and especially the
hand-friendly comfortability when playing the cajon comes into play when a
musician beginner or professional starts to play it for quite a whileâ¦ and chances are if your box is made by a
carpenter, you would be feeling the pain in your hands early on. If
you are new to playing the cajon you would probably notice that there is
something wrong with how it sounds, especially that you have to stoop/bend
forward very low in order for you to strike the bass area which happens to be
situated on the very low front portion of the box , that's goin to be a big
problem especially if you have to sing solo or back-up while playing the cajon
and i encourage you to try it with different carpenters box sold in stores so
youl'll know what i mean, if you are careful and discriminating, in that you
would find time to go around and compare it to other cajons that are being sold
in all music stores as against the ones that are made to order by bonafide
percussionists WHO REALLY TRULY HONESTLY PERSONALLY MAKE IT BY THEMSELVES. For
all you know, the poor carpenter hasnât even seen an original cajon or much less played one.. so before
deciding to buy one make sure you test a cajon made by a percussionist and
compare it to the ones made by carpenters sold in storesâ¦ That
is of course if âthe sound quality and the comfort on your hands are
important to you.â I am perhaps, just one among many PERCUSSIONISTS who makes
real quality cajons and if you happen to come across this web of mine Iâll be
happy to accommodate your presence to demo my
cajon so you can prove to yourself the difference between my SLAP n' TAP / TAP
n' SLAP cajons as compared to the ones made by carpentersâ¦ and other musicians too. Rest assured you
will not be forced to order and buy after the demo ... much
less will i be obligated to to make one for you even if you decide to want to
order one. As it is my passion to make and play the cajon, I FIND IT MORE
FULFILLING TO GET TO CHOOSE WHO I'M MAKING MY CAJON FOR.

COMMON QUESTION I GET FROM EMAIL AND
CALLERS WHO INQUIRE ABOUT MY CAJON:

HOW COME I DON'T SELL MY CAJON IN
STORES? WHY DON'T I LIKE MY CAJON TO BE SOLD IN LOCAL MUSIC STORES?

WELL...

FIRST â âIt is not my intention that all would
be buyers of cajon gets to own the cajons that I make. I'd
like to be able to choose who i'll be making my cajons for... I would much
prefer it that other users of cajon own a different brandâ¦ whether brands by carpenters or by other
musicians.THAT WAY THERE IS A POINT OF COMPARISON .

SECOND - If all of us are using the
same cajon brands then there is nothing to compare it with anymore!

at the end of the day â if you gather all the cajons of different
Carpenters and played them side by side with the ones made by a Percussionist, the cajons made by a percussionist best quality will undoubtedly
stand out from all the rest !

If you donât want to spend again and again trying out
different carpenters cajon branded by music stores ... because the cajon you
bought was horrendous to your hands and earâ¦ make time and effort to experience demos
of cajons made by musicians so you can make an intelligent comparison from
cajons sold in stores.

WORRY ABOUT THE QUALITY FIRST AND THE
PRICE LATER AFTER YOU HAVE MADE THE COMPARISON.

Simple logic goes: when you need a
heart operation you go to a heart surgeon, not a car mechanicâ¦ when you want a high quality cajon, GO
FOR THE ONE'S PERSONALLY MADE BY MUSICIANS BECAUSE CHANCES ARE THEY KNOW WHAT
THEY ARE DOING ... find out too if the musician is really the
one's making it or they are just having it made by a carpenter, there's a
difference and you will be able to spot them if you are observing the demo with
focus on sound quality and handfriendliness when tappin and slappin it ...

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THE CAJON IS MADE
BY A CARPENTER ?

-Talk to the maker themselves

- go visit where they make them

- ask questions regarding the sound
like:

- why does it rattle everywhere or
worst how come it doesn't rattle at all in the snare area where you strike
it...

- why is the bass striking portion
too low in the front area of the box? Can you not make it higher so that i
won't have to bend forward too low as it gets to be painful in the back after a
while...

- if they truly know what their doing
they should be able to put the bass striking area higher on the top portion
where you don't have to bend all the time...

- bass sound must at least have a 3
sound tones on the 1st striking layer... and another 3 bass tones on the 2nd
striking layer (round low, flat low and low overtone)

- more important of all is that the
snare striking portion should be almost feather touch using only 1 to 2 fingers
to make it rattle.

- it's origin etc...

simple case in point: an architect
can never be a better heart surgeon than the doctor who studied for it. and
vice versa...

SO WHO GETS TO BUY MY CAJONS ?

- preferably those i get to talk to
or even those who email me (as in the case of most of the people overseas who
ordered and bought my slapbox) gives me the impression that they have a real
need/want for a bonafide high quality cajon.

NOTE: readers of this page has no
obligation to buy cajons from me as i am not the only musician who makes cajon.

(this information is being emphasized
due to a lot of inquiries we receive on a daily average and to guide those who
would like to get their money's worth on the cajon that they buy)

THE PROPER WAY TO TEST THE CAJON:

- no microphones attached to an amp
or mixer

- the sound of the cajon must be good
& loud already even w/out the mic

- there must be a clear distinction
between the snare & bass by just merely tapping "not pounding"

- you must be able to achieve 16 beat
rattle on your snare by just a '2 finger alternate taps'

- a loud rattle should be attained by
a mere 1 finger tap on your snare

the bass sound must have 6 different
tones ranging from low-mid-and hi overtones

furthermore, your cajon must be
tunable from inside-out... because it's a musical instrument which is tunable (
like drum sets, guitars etc.). If the cajon you bought from stores are not
tunable and fixed tuned then you've been short changed because it falls on the
cathegory of a musical instrument accessory.

if you have any
questions/clarifications, i will be more than happy to help you...

REVIEWS AND COMMENTS FROM SLAPBOX
USERS SINCE 2002

(these comments were picked-out
randomly from over 905 users of CAJON DE MANILA to date "2012")

KELL G. OF SOUTHBOARDER - VOCALIST

Hi sir,

Tried the cajon that I got from you
already...the best talaga at dami natuwa...thanks a lot sir...hope to see you
real soon para kwentuhan ulit....

SOOPER TUWA AKO SA CAJON GINAWA MO
FOR ME SIR, I SENT YOU AN EMAIL TOO... THANKS PO TALAGA, MORE POWER AND GOD
BLESS

LARK - OF AUSTRALIA

hi mark

sorry my december orders has been
filled up already since june, reserved for by jazz musicians from canada, if
you like you can order it ahead of time like sometime november or even sooner,
so that it will be on standby ready come december if not there are a lot of music
stores here that sells all sorts of carpenters box that might interest your
fancy.

Bennie - good pm sir jeric, if there
is one thing important that i have learned from buying your cajon, it is the
value of having to canvass your target instrument by looking at the actual
physical quality and performance of the instrument before deciding on which to
buy. My previous way of canvassing the cajon based on its price, as i've told
you already, has not only given me disappointment but has wasted my time and
money too. I am honored to be one of the proud owners of cajon de manila.
Thanks a million sir jeric.

Sent from my iPhone

ERWIN OF SOLA LUNA BAND - DRUM
INSTRUCTOR AND CLASSICAL GUITARIST

"Ive been using Jeric's Cajon
since 2003 and i am very happy with it! The sound is very different from other
Cajon's who are trying to imitate Jeric's Cajon,you will notice the big
difference in its sound and touch..."

I now own #659 Cajon made by Sir
Jeric Gutierrez. It really sounds very nice. Kudos job for your craftsmanship
for creating such a great instrument. :) I enjoy slap and tapping the cajon. :)

- Jonathan Tayawa

Hey Jeric, I finally used the cajon
this week. Sounds good! Most people like it. Expect an eamil from a friend who
wants to order. This is Jose ot Toto from Toronto who bought the cajon last Mar
ch? Remember me?

- jocel

Hi Jeric,

si magnifique (magnificent), si
remarquable et excellent (so remarkable and excellent), j'aime d sound
tellement (i love the sound so much)... your pro-master series slapbox is 10
times better than any of my cajon and percussion collections from the latin countries,
i hope i can order 3 pcs. more for june...

merci vou cuo (thank you) et bonne
journee (good day)

francois - Paris, France

i love your cajon

- mark from melbourne, Australia

This is really great jeric, i like
how you were able to evenly distribute the different tones of the snare and
bass of the pro-master slapbox. I am seriously considering of ordering some
more and make a business out of it here in Canada. Pls. let me know what you
think soon.

thanks a lot,

Jean Paul - Montreal, Canada

Hey Jeric, couldn't take my hands off
on oyur pro-masters slapbox. I was right in trusting what i read in your
website, although i was really hopin' i won't be makin' a mistake again for the
3rd time around. As i told you before the previous couple of cajons i ordered
thru the internet particularly the one's made from Peru and the one's from
Mexico were a disaster. Your a true craftsman of the cajon and a genius, every
sense of the word.

You are truly world class sir jeric!
:) galing! ganda ng tunog halos hindi ko npapagod mag cajon :) dami na
nagtatanong san galing cajon ko, i keep on saying it is made by a world class
maker. hehe. ingat po. God Bless! more power! Your pro-master series slapbox is
amazing!! Its truly WORLD CLASS! my co musicians are very curious who made my
cajon! Thank you so much Sir Jeric! God Bless and more power!

Arnie Libante

-Libante Strings

hi Jeric,

finally the cajon is with me right
now! =D i'm satisfied with the sounds (snare n bass).. deep n round.. n i'm
proud being ur 1st bruneian customer! now i will enjoy my new cajon..=)

i'm thinking of being a reseller here
in brunei..is it possible? thanks jeric,

best regards,

alid

Sir jerico thank you very much for
the cajon..I am very happy to have a piece of your handwork.I really want to
learn how to play the cajon and at last I have my own now to practice and to
jam with.thank you very much!- nicole 'engineering - de lasalle university

Dear Jeric,

I excitedly picked up my parents this
morning as they arrived around 10:15am JAL. My excitement heightened when I saw
my Mother carrying the Cajon with the

back pack case.

My father was telling me about how
you brought the slapbox to Natib St for them. Thank you as my father could not
find your address for some reason at Irid St. I

finally opened the case to be really
pleased with the sight of your masterpiece. It truly is a work of patience and
dedication. I myself have an eye for detail and I can

see that it was made with passion for
the instrument and pride of your workmanship.

Over the past couple of weeks I have
researched other Cajon's in the market like ones made by LP and Meinl that are
available at local music stores. The finishes

were very nice and the choice of
veneer often exotic for appearance sake. Some of them have toggles/pedals that
allow the player to remove or activate the snares. I

tested some of them and now that I
have # 615 to compare with, there really is not rival (Sans-Rival) lol

I like the corner snares and every
detail that you mention in your website I can actually say is the truth. The
other Cajon's although also nice, you have to tap or slap

harder to get the sound and is hard
on your hands. Yours takes little or no effort to get the snare sound which is
perfectly tuned thanks to your detailed 'ear' The back

of the Slapbox is also like having a
second Cajon where the sounds mimick sounds similar to a bongo drum. I am truly
impressed and happy with the workmanship

but most importantly the sound.

I first saw the Cajon in the
Philippines last March when I was there with my wife. I noticed the hotel
entertainers sitting on a box and beating on the sides while

accompanying the singers and guitar
players. I eventually spoke to one of them and asked what that was and he told
me it was a beat box. I automatically thought that

this would be a great instrument for
unplugged musicians in Canada or the US. Up to this day, I don't think it is
highly popular yet. Once people get to see a

percussionist play the instrument
well, I see the popularity growing quite fast. There are many upcoming bands
that perform in local coffee shops and bars and the Slapbox is a great instrument that is
very easy portable.

I was in the furniture business
before and used to import my furniture from Indonesia. I specialized in Teak
wood furniture which is similar to Nara wood. I also

repaired and refinished antiques and
other furniture pieces for customers to pass the time and earn extra income. I
am always keen and open minded to any business

opportunity Jeric. More importantly,
I am always willing to help in any way.

Let us see the potential to grow this
business in North America. I will test out the market here now that I have #615
and let us see the reactions of the people that I

show it to. I will try showing it to
some of the church choirs/bands here to start. I know of one particular church
here where they have a youth mass and always have

a drummer with a full drum kit. I see
how much time it takes to set and take it down only for a 1 hour mass. I am
sure a Slapbox/Cajon would do the trick and even

get the church crowd amused!

Let me know more about your proposal
of having a manufacturing site here in North America to cater for the market
here. I am in the shipping business now and I

know how the dimensional weight of
your product will add to the end cost of the slapbox even if the actual weight
is light.

Anyhow, sorry for the long e-mail. I
know you are very busy, keep up the fantastic quality and keep in touch. I will
be busy playing your Slapbox this weekend, hope

the neighbours don't mind (haha) Have
a great weekend yourself with your family!

Cheers & Godbless,

Alf "Vancouver, Ca"

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cajon de manila - making world's best authentic traditional cajons since 2002

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